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becomes clear, your vehicle will accelerate to 
the speed you have selected by increasing the 
throttle setting and shifting gears automatically 
or by the driver as needed. Your selected speed 
will be held when driving downhill, too.
Since this active cruise control system is a new 
technology and operates differently from con-
ventional cruise control systems which you may 
be accustomed to, you are strongly urged to 
read all of the pages relating to this system 
before use. Pay special attention to the System 
limitations section beginning on page66.
Braking sensation
The system's automatic brake operation results 
in a braking sensation that is slightly different 
from what you feel when you brake the vehicle 
yourself in a similar situation. Possible noises 
during automatic deceleration are normal.
Manual transmission/SMG
You can shift gears while cruise control is acti-
vated. An indicator lamp notifies you that you 
should shift gears when you drive for an 
extended period at very high or very low engine 
speeds, or the system is deactivated.
In Drive mode, the SMG acts similarly to an 
automatic transmission in position D.
Range of applications
The minimum desired speed is 20 mph or 
30 km/h, and the maximum desired speed is 
110 mph or 180 km/h.
As with conventional cruise control sys-
tems, active cruise control in no way 
diminishes or substitutes for the driver’s own 
personal responsibility, alertness and aware-
ness in adjusting speed, braking or otherwise 
controlling the vehicle. The driver should 
decide when to use the system on the basis of 
road, traffic, visibility, and weather conditions. 
Active cruise control is intended for use on 
highway-type roadways where traffic is moving 
relatively smoothly. Do not use this system in 
city driving; heavy traffic such as during rush 
hour; on curvy, winding roads, slippery roads or 
roads with sharp curves such as highway off-ramps; during inclement weather such as snow, 
strong rain or fog; or when entering inter-
changes, service/parking areas or toll booths. 
It is also important to regulate your vehicle's 
speed and distance setting within applicable 
legal limits. Always be ready to take action or 
apply the brakes if necessary, especially when 
the system is actively following a vehicle in front 
of you. Otherwise, driving conditions could 
result which violate the law or pose a risk of 
accident.<
One lever for all functions
1Store and increase desired speed
2Store and decrease desired speed
3Deactivate system, refer to page65
4Resume stored desired speed and dis-
tance, refer to page65
5Select distance to vehicle driving ahead, 
refer to page64
Maintaining current speed
Briefly press the lever, arrow 1, or briefly pull it, 
arrow 2, at a driving speed of more than approx. 
20 mph or 30 km/h. 

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Climate
1Airflow directed toward the windshield and 
side windows
2Air to the upper body area 
Draft-free ventilation100
3Air to the footwell
4Air distribution, manual
5Temperature adjustment, left-hand side of 
passenger compartment
6Maximum cooling
7AUTO program
8Air flow rate, manual
9AUC Automatic recirculated-air control/
Recirculated-air mode10Temperature adjustment, right-hand side 
of passenger compartment
11Residual heat
12Defrosting windows and removing conden-
sation
13Switching cooling function on/off manually
14Rear window defroster
15Air grill for interior temperature sensor – 
please keep clear and unobstructed
The current setting for the air distribution is dis-
played on the Control Display, refer to page98. 

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side windows, towards the upper body area and 
into the footwell for you. The air flow rate and 
your temperature specifications will be adapted 
to outside influences as a result of seasonal 
changes, e.g. sunlight or window condensation.
The cooling is switched on automatically with 
the AUTO program.
Intensity of the AUTO program
You can set the intensity of the air supply in the 
AUTO program. This changes the duration of 
time during which the vehicle interior is heated 
or cooled.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Call up "Climate".
3.Select "Automatic programs" and press the 
controller.
4.Select the desired field.
5.Press the controller to set the desired inten-
sity.
 The selected intensity level of the auto-
matic program is switched on.
Adjusting air flow rate manually
Press the left side of the button to 
reduce airflow. Press the right side 
of the button to increase it.
You can reactivate the automatic mode for the 
air flow rate with the AUTO button.
Switching the system on/off
With the blower at its lowest setting, press the 
left side of the button to switch off the auto-
matic climate control. All indicators go out.
Press any button except REST to reactivate the 
automatic climate control.
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control/Recirculated-air mode
Switch on the desired operating 
mode by pressing this button 
repeatedly:
>LEDs off: outside air flows in continuously.
>Left-hand LED on, AUC mode: a sensor 
detects pollutants in the outside air. If nec-
essary, the system blocks the supply of out-
side air and recirculates the inside air. As 
soon as the concentration of pollutants in 
the outside air has decreased sufficiently, 
the system automatically switches back to 
outside air supply.
>Right-hand LED on, recirculated-air mode: 
the supply of outside air is permanently 
shut off. The system then recirculates the 
air currently within the vehicle.
If condensation starts to form on the 
inside window surfaces during operation 
in the recirculated-air mode, you should switch 
it off while also increasing the air flow rate as 
required. 
The recirculated-air mode should not be used 
over an extended period of time, otherwise the 
air quality inside the car will deteriorate contin-
uously.<
Via the button* on the steering wheel
You can switch between operating modes via 
an individually programmable button
 on the 
steering wheel, refer to page11:
>When outside air is coming in, you can use 
the button on the steering wheel to switch 
between outside air and recirculated-air 
mode.
>When recirculated-air mode or AUC mode 
is switched on, you can use the button on 
the steering wheel to switch between recir-
culated-air mode and AUC mode.
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is 
used to heat the passenger com-
partment, e.g. while stopped at a 
school to pick up a child. 

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nection to an outside antenna. Otherwise, the 
vehicle electronics and mobile communication 
device can influence one another. In addition, 
there is no assurance that the radiation which 
results from transmission will be dissipated 
from the vehicle interior.<
Interior and exterior mirrors, automatic 
dimming feature*
The automatic dimming feature of the interior 
and exterior mirrors
* is controlled by two photo 
cells in the interior rearview mirror. One photo 
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is 
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that the system functions 
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not 
cover the area between the interior rearview 
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive 
labels or stickers of any kind to the windshield 
directly in front of the mirror.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, 
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge 
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning, 
means that the tire can completely lose contact 
with the road surface, so that neither the car can 
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page195.
Driving through water
Drive through water on the road only if it is 
not deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only 
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the 
transmission may be damaged.<
Use the handbrake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with 
the clutch; use the handbrake. Otherwise 
greater clutch wear will result.<
Sequential manual gearbox SMG
On uphill slopes, drive off without delay. 
Do not hold the vehicle in place by 
depressing the accelerator pedal; apply the 
handbrake instead. Otherwise, the transmis-
sion could overheat.<
Also use the drive-off assistant, refer to 
page87.
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard 
feature. Applying the brakes fully is the most 
effective way of braking in situations in which 
this is necessary. Since the vehicle maintains 
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid 
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering 
effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal, combined with 
sounds from the hydraulic circuits, indicate that 
ABS is in its active mode.
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain, 
briefly exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal 
every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to 
ensure that this maneuver does not endanger 
other road users. The heat generated in this 
process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure 
that full braking efficiency will then be available 
when you need it.
Hills
To prevent overheating and the resulting 
reduced efficiency of the brake system, 
drive long or steep downhill gradients in the 
gear in which the least braking is required. Even 
light but consistent brake pressure can lead to 
high temperatures, brake wear and possibly 
even brake failure.< 

Starting the navigation system
124
Starting the navigation system
Your navigation system can use satellites to 
ascertain the precise position of your vehicle 
and guide you reliably to any destination you 
enter.
Navigation DVD
The navigation system requires a special navi-
gation DVD. You can obtain the latest version at 
your BMW Center.
Inserting navigation DVD
1.Insert the navigation DVD with the labeled 
side up.
2.Wait for several seconds to allow the con-
tents of the DVD to be read in.
Removing navigation DVD
1. Press button 1.
The DVD emerges slightly from the drive.
2.Remove the DVD.
If the DVD is not ejected from the drive, it is pos-
sible that it is blocked. A message appears on 
the Control Display.
Display in the assistance 
window
You can display the route or the current position 
in the assistance window. This display remains 
visible even if you change to another applica-
tion.1.Move the controller to the right to enter the 
assistance window.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select the desired route view or "Current 
position".
4.Press the controller.
The contents of the assistance window are con-
tinually updated as you drive.
* 

On/off and settings
144
On/off and settings
The following audio sources have shared con-
trols and setting options:
>Radio
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons near the CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons
 on the steering wheel, refer to 
page11
Buttons near the CD player
1Sound output for entertainment on/off, vol-
ume
>Press: switch on/off.
When you switch on, the last set radio 
station or CD track is played.
>Turn: adjust volume.
2Drive for audio CDs
3 Eject CD
4 Station scan/track search
>Change radio station.
>Select track for CD player and CD 
changer.
5Drive for navigation DVD
Operation via iDrive
iDrive concept, refer to page16.1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to call up 
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" and "AM": radio reception
>"WB": Weather Band station
>"SAT": satellite radio
>"CD": CD player or changer
>"Audio Aux": external audio device
>"Set": depending on the audio source, 
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with 
the radio: update station with strongest 
reception, store station, tone control, sam-
ple stations.
From another menu, you can switch 
directly to the screen last displayed, refer 
to Convenient call-up of menu items on 
page18.<
The selected audio source is stored for the 
remote control currently in use.
Switching on/off
In order to switch the entertainment sound out-
put on and off:
Press button1 on the CD player.
 This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off. 

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Displaying additional information
With digital stations, additional information on 
the current track can be displayed, e.g. the 
name of the artist.
1.Select the station and press the controller.
2.Select "Details" and press the controller.
 The information is displayed.
If another digital station is received after chang-
ing the station, the additional information will be 
shown again after a short pause.
Satellite radio*
You can receive over 100 different channels 
with high sound quality.
The channels are offered to you in predefined 
packages. To receive the channels of your 
choice, you must have this package enabled.
With this new technology, signal losses 
can occur from time to time and result in 
audio interruptions.<
Enabling or disabling channels
iDrive concept, refer to page22.1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to call up 
"Entertainment".
3.Select "SAT".
4.Press the controller.
The channels are displayed.
 These channels are enabled.
Enabling
1.Select a channel that has not yet been 
enabled and press the controller.
A telephone number and the electronic 
serial number, ESN, are displayed.
The electronic serial number is 
required to enable or disable.<
2.To enable the channel:
Dial the phone number. 

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6.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
7.Select "Play" and press the controller.
Additional information
The name of the channel and additional infor-
mation on the current track are displayed, e.g. 
the name of the artist.
1Artist
2Track
Storing a channel
1.Select the desired channel.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select "Store" and press the controller.
"Presets" is displayed.4.Turn the controller to select a memory loca-
tion and press the controller.
The channel is stored. The channels of the last 
selection criterion are displayed once again 
after a short time.
Changing channels with buttons on CD 
player
 Press the   button for the corre-
sponding direction.
The system switches to the next enabled chan-
nel.
Notes
If no signal can be received for more than four 
seconds, a message will appear on the Control 
Display.
Under some circumstances, e.g. depend-
ing on environmental influences or topo-
graphic conditions, it may not be possible to 
receive any signal. The satellite radio cannot 
influence this.
A signal may not be available in tunnels or 
underground garages, next to high-rise build-
ings, in the vicinity of trees, mountains or other 
strong sources of radio interference.
Reception usually resumes as soon as the sig-
nal becomes available again.<